Our View: Make room for compromise on Fall River's budget

Saturday

Jun 7, 2014 at 6:30 PM

For months, Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan has been saying that the Fiscal '15 budget would be the most challenging of his term. Now the mayor's $258.7 million budget proposal has been presented to the City Council, and the council will hold a series of budget hearings this month, starting Monday.

Herald News Editorial Board

For months, Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan has been saying that the Fiscal ’15 budget would be the most challenging of his term. Now the mayor’s $258.7 million budget proposal has been presented to the City Council, and the council will hold a series of budget hearings this month, starting Monday.

On Wednesday, Flanagan, City Administrator Cathy Ann Viveiros and City Treasurer John Nunes met with The Herald News Editorial Board to explain the highlights of this challenging fiscal plan and answer our questions.

“This is a budget where the city pulls itself up by its bootstraps,” Flanagan said. Rather than a heavy reliance on state and federal grants that have helped balance budgets and buoy services in previous years, Flanagan said that, with the Fiscal ’15 budget, “the city is relying upon itself.” That takes some sacrifice, but Flanagan has decided against across-the-board cuts.

As a result, there are some targeted increases and decreases in revenue and spending. Among the flashpoints of the budget: a 2.5 percent tax increase raising an extra $2.06 million, a reduction in firefighters from 213 to 175 after the expiration of the federal SAFER grant; the introduction of a pay-as-you-throw trash hauling program raising a projected $3.5 million, and a $97 million school budget allocation from the city for a level-services budget vs. the $99 million allocation approved by the School Committee.

Despite these controversial budgetary decisions, Flanagan said, the city would spend 2.87 percent or $7.2 million more than it did in Fiscal ’14, with a $10 million combined spending increase going to fund the high priorities of fire protection and education. “We held the line on level services,” Flanagan said. In light of some of the fiscal shell games built into previous budgets, Flanagan promised that in Fiscal ’15, “there’s no games.”

Although Flanagan has met with council members about the budget and the council has plenty of complaints, they have apparently offered few, if any, alternatives, but have served up plenty of criticism. “Not one councilor has given me options,” Flanagan said.

On Wednesday, Flanagan made clear that he was concerned about the city “going over the cliff” and “sending the city into a black hole” if the council does not approve the budget.

Flanagan said that if the budget were to be voted down, the city would revert to the Fiscal ’14 budget or “1/12 budget,” which would force layoffs of more firefighters, $1 million less in police funding, no 2.5 percent increase in tax collections, and an educational budget of $91 million. The administration said a new Fiscal ’15 budget could be enacted after July 1 if necessary.

On Wednesday, Flanagan bemoaned the lack of cooperation between the administration and council, saying the divided government was reminiscent of today’s dysfunctional Washington brinksmanship. By Thursday, though, Flanagan thoroughly embraced that approach, going on the radio threatening a “government shutdown” should the council reject his budget, contradicting the consequences of a budget rejection his administration outlined to The Herald News.

Instead of sticking to the facts, explaining the very complex budgetary issues facing the city, and devising alternatives to this budget proposal, Flanagan and the council have ratcheted up the war of words. Such tactics may make for exciting political theater but do not help the city navigate the difficult steps necessary to balance the budget.

For the good of the city, the mayor and council really ought to tone down the hyperbole and work together to develop budgetary adjustments that take resident’s input and councilor’s concerns into account. To his credit, Flanagan said Friday he would attend the council’s budget hearing, which could go a long way toward thawing the chilly relations if the council and mayor take the opportunity to talk to each other, rather than at each other. The council and administration ought to reach a compromise to avoid a budget rejection which would only make matters worse.